But after missing more than a month and a half of game action, is it still possible for him to win the AL MVP?

He has led the American League in WAR each of the last five seasons, and has quickly narrowed the gap between himself and his competitors since returning, now just 1.0 fWAR away from catching Aaron Judge.

Player

Games

AVG

OBP

SLG

HR

wOBA

wRC+

fWAR

Aaron Judge

106

.299

.424

.627

35

.431

175

6.0

Jose Altuve

107

.364

.424

.570

16

.419

169

5.7

Anthony Rendon

102

.308

.413

.567

21

.410

152

5.3

Paul Goldschmidt

110

.323

.438

.593

25

.426

159

5.2

Mike Trout

68

.346

.464

.716

23

.472

208

5.0

Bryce Harper

102

.327

.422

.621

29

.429

165

5.0

Despite having played 38 fewer games than Judge and 39 fewer than Jose Altuve, Trout's WAR totals put him within striking distance of both players.

Of course, MVP voters look at more than just WAR when determining who to name the Most Valuable Player, but it's remarkable that Trout has been able to gain ground so quickly. And at the moment, Trout is at career highs in batting average, on-base percentage percentage, slugging percentage, weighted on base average (wOBA) and weighted runs created (wRC+).

Since returning from his injury, Trout is hitting an astounding .363/.469/.663 with 7 home runs and 3 doubles in 96 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Judge has slumped a bit since the All-Star break, batting .182/.333/.377 with just 5 dingers and 12 RBIs in 22 games.

Altuve is a different story. Perhaps the best pure hitter in the game, the Houston Astros' incredible second baseman has been just as productive as Trout since the All-Star Game.

Player

Team

Games

wOBA

wRC+

fWAR

Chris Taylor

Dodgers

21

.480

203

1.7

Mike Trout

Angels

21

.467

204

1.6

Matt Chapman

Athletics

23

.419

171

1.5

Jose Altuve

Astros

21

.461

198

1.5

Altuve and Trout have virtually the same fWAR since the second half of the season began. It's likely Altuve is the leading contender for AL MVP at the moment, but could Trout catch him in WAR and make things interesting for voters?

It will take a herculean effort from Trout over the final two months of the season to do so, but remember, this is Mike Trout we're talking about.